Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission promotes consensus among regulators in the Asia-Pacific region to enhance market resilience, and will strengthen cooperation and application of new technologies.

At the meeting of the regional committee of the International Organization of Securities Commissions, the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong chaired discussions among securities regulatory agencies in the region and facilitated a broad consensus among industry peers on the future direction of addressing major capital market issues. The Asia-Pacific Regional Committee of the International Organization of Securities Commissions, chaired by Ms. Ashley Alder, the Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong, held a meeting in Sydney, Australia this week to discuss various market issues, including public and private markets, as well as the primary tasks of regulation and enforcement in the region. Members also welcomed actions taken in the Asia-Pacific region to combat online fraud cases and discussed the regulatory impact and opportunities of tokenization and artificial intelligence. Prior to this, senior officials from the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong participated in the Enforcement Directors Meeting and Inspection Directors Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Regional Committee on Monday, exchanging experiences and views on various issues, including enforcement and regulatory challenges brought about by technology. At the EU-Asia Pacific Regulatory Forum held yesterday (March 4th), Ms. Ashley Alder and Ms. Alexandra Jour-Schroeder, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, co-chaired the meeting. Regulatory representatives discussed various regulatory innovations to ensure that the regulatory system is up-to-date and in line with regulatory objectives and to enhance capital market efficiency. The meeting also discussed the work of jurisdictions in promoting sustainable finance and rapid transformation in financial technology. Ms. Ashley Alder also delivered a keynote speech at the EU-ASIA FINANCIAL dialogue at the Annual Conference of the Asia Securities and Financial Markets Association today (March 5th). She emphasized that in order to address the challenges and seize the opportunities brought about by the further fragmentation of the global market today, the best strategy is to strengthen market resilience by expanding regional markets, responsibly utilizing technology, and enhancing cross-border cooperation to facilitate efficient capital flow. In the face of technological innovation and extreme weather events, she called for enhanced regional cooperation to jointly address common challenges such as online fraud, digital finance, and sustainable finance. Ms. Alder said, "In the face of today's changes, increasing market resilience is the appropriate strategy. We must rethink how to shape resilience. It is not simply a defensive strategy to resist risks, but an active and strategic deployment to build a deeper, more sustainable, and more closely connected market platform. In the case of the Asia-Pacific region, building resilience means expanding markets, leveraging technology, and enhancing cross-border cooperation to ensure efficient capital flow in the face of market shocks."